Inertial Navigation: Enabling Technology for Longwall Mining Automation

This paper describes recent advances in the development of an integrated inertial guidance system for automation of the longwall coal mining process. Significant advances in longwall automation are being achieved through an industry sponsored project which targets productivity and safety benefits. High performance inertial navigation systems are being successfully employed to accurately measure the three-dimensional path of the longwall shearer. Novel techniques have been developed which take advantage of the partially constrained motion of the shearer to correct and stabilise the inertial-based position measurement system. Accurate measurement of shearer position is a fundamental requirement for automated face alignment which involves controlling the shearer path in the horizontal plane. Automated face alignment represents a breakthrough in achieving the greater goal of practical and reliable automated longwall coal mining.